Woman fatally stabbed after giving money to apparent young mother in need

BALTIMORE (RNN) - After a good Samaritan rolled down her car window to give money to a woman she saw on the street, a man approached the vehicle and fatally stabbed her in the chest, according to Baltimore police.

Police say 52-year-old Jacquelyn Smith was traveling in the passenger seat of her car with her family just after midnight Saturday, The Washington Post reports.

A woman approached the vehicle carrying a baby or something wrapped to look like a baby and a cardboard sign that read, “Please help me feed my baby.”

Woman stabbed to death while trying to help panhandler

After Smith rolled down her window to give the woman money, police say a man approached the vehicle and thanked the family for the money. He then reached in through the window to grab Smith’s wallet.

A struggle ensued, and the man stabbed Smith in the chest before he and the woman ran away.

Smith was transported to the hospital, where she died of her injuries, WJZ reports.

“When you see something like this happen to a good Samaritan, it kind of makes you stop and think,” said Robert Stokes, a Baltimore city councilman. “It makes you stop and don’t roll your windows down... That’s sad and my condolences go out to the family.”

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh also weighed in on Smith’s death, saying this is a reminder not to roll down your window for panhandlers, according to WJZ.

“We don’t want people destroying other people’s lives,” Pugh said. “This is unconscionable and as I’ve continued to say, one life lost in this city is one life too many.”

Friends say Smith did not live in the city and was likely only there to drop off family members. They described her to WJZ as a woman with a heart of gold.

“A very loving, caring person. A very hard working woman. Just…just sweet,” a friend said.

The friends, who didn’t want their names released, said they didn’t doubt Smith would help someone in need.

“I can see her doing that, going in her purse and giving someone some money, because she’s the type of person who would do that for anybody,” another friend told WJZ.

Homicide detectives are looking to identify both the male and female suspects, according to the Post.

The woman, described as being about 20 years old, was about 5-foot-4 and wearing a brown jacket. The man, who appeared to be about 30, was about 6 feet tall and had a goatee.

Police say the man is the primary suspect, but they are also looking for the woman to determine if the two were related in any way, WJZ reports.

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